I don't know how inline quoting goes over here, but I'm trying it.

What kind of "digital thermometer" was it? If it was a fever thermometer,
then you'd get this kind of result - one, they're not designed to go that
hot, and two, they sacrifice response time for 0.1 deg. F accuracy.

Here's a similar one on amazon.com:
http://tinyurl.com/4334t

I notice it has a poor rating . . . that might explain something. The
thermometer I have does have some presets for meat, which makes me
wonder if it's meant for meat exclusively. However, it did mention
candy-making in whatever spiel I read about it. That's where I got the
idea to try fudge. It seems the probe that came with it is unsuiteable
though. It's supposed to go up to a thousand degrees Fahrenheit -- note
that I'd try -- so it should be suitable for cooking.

Do some googling - they're out there. Say,
http://www.google.com/search?q=thermocouple+probe

If there's something that plugs fine and dandy into my thermometer then
I'd be content. The base unit itself is nice, but the probe just sucks.

And, from the book of cooking tips - you sometimes have to stir quite
enthusiastically to keep your mixture from scorching. :-)

Of course. I was stirring the whole time. That's to say . . . I had
thoroughly scorched it. I never have made fudge on my own, nor have
I dont any candy making. I wasn't so certain what to expect so I was
relying on the thermometer to help me out.